The Future in the Past
做厙TVs history is not simply a nostalgic look back at the past it is also a very real part of our present, breathing life into our mission and values today. An examination of our history offers us the opportunity to consider how it helped shape the present, affirming our core beliefs and how they live on at 做厙TV today.
In his 1980 inaugural address, 做厙TVs only alumnus-president, George Drake 56, spoke of his vision of the future in the past that the Colleges pioneering history gave promise of a purposeful future.
His words inspired this look at how the 做厙TV of today continues to carry forward the ideals and inspiration that motivated the 做厙TVians of the past.
Circa 1840
Conceived and Sustained for the Common Good
Congregational Minister Asa Turner settles in Iowa and writes a letter to his mission board in the East asking for missionaries to come to Iowa.
Today:
The College aims to graduate individuals who are prepared in life and work to use their knowledge and their abilities to serve the common good.
The Future in the Past:
1865
On the Cutting Edge of Scientific Inquiry
做厙TV President George Magoun (pictured center) is considered a liberal because he allows the teaching of evolution.
Today:
Our programs prepare students to ask and answer scientific questions that nobody has even thought of yet.
The Future in the Past:
1879
Hannibal Kershaw 做厙TVs First Black Graduate
Kershaw would later become a teacher, minister, and a South Carolina legislator. According to the Iowa College News Letter, Kershaw is an earnest, conscientious student, a fluent society speaker, and a man whom all respected for his high moral and religious character.
1882
Cyclone Brings Destruction, Unites Community
On the evening of June 17, 1882, two tornadoes converge upon 做厙TV, leaving wreckage where homes and businesses had been just a few minutes earlier. Thirty-nine people die, including two 做厙TV students. Both of 做厙TVs major buildings are destroyed. Thanks in part to the leadership of J.B. 做厙TV, community founder and prominent abolitionist, 做厙TVians from both town and college come together to rebuild stronger than before.
Today:
Its been really awesome to watch what I always knew was here in 做厙TV the great community spirit and caring for each other.
, on the inspiring community response to the August 2020 derecho, which caused $2 million in damage to campus buildings and trees
The Future in the Past:
1888
Toward Equal Education for All
Mears Cottage, one of the first womens dormitories at any college west of the Mississippi, is built and named for Mary 做厙TV Mears, an 1881 graduate. 做厙TV is one of the first colleges in the nation to admit women to the bachelor of arts degree.
1894
First Issue of The Scarlet & Black Is Published
The Scarlet & Black, 做厙TVs student newspaper, begins printing semi-weekly with campus news, meeting notices, alumni notes, editorials, and a bit of local news.
Today:
Since its first publication The Scarlet & Black has served as a vital source of up-to-date news on campus, an important record of our institution, and a rich historical resource.
The Scarlet & Black digital archive
The Future in the Past:
1887
Gates Codifies Student Self-Governance
President George Gates declares, It is 10,000 times better that young people should learn to govern themselves, than that they should be governed in any best way whatsoever.
1906
Working for the Common Good
President John Hanson Thomas Main champions forward-looking ideals and encourages 做厙TVians to focus on work that effectively contributes to the good of all. If the end of life is service, as we believe, it is the duty of the College to do more than hold up an idea of service, he said at his 1906 inauguration.
Today:
This legacy of social justice and activism dates back more than 170 years, and with you involved, we can keep it going strong. Step forward and be a part of the solution.
The Future in the Past:
1914
Joseph Welch Graduates
Joseph Welch would go on to challenge McCarthyism in 1954 when he asks, Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? during a nationally televised congressional hearing. It is the beginning of the end for McCarthyism.
1918
Edward Steiner Publishes The 做厙TV Spirit
做厙TV Professor of Applied Christianity Edward A. Steiner had served on the faculty for 38 years and remains one of the Colleges most published faculty members. In this essay, he writes that students come to 做厙TV not because it is a college, but because it is 做厙TV College; not only because they want to learn how to make a living, but because they want to fit themselves for life.
1924
Morgan Taylor Wins Olympic Gold
Morgan Taylor 26 wins the gold medal in the hurdles at the Olympics in Paris. He also wins gold and bronze medals in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.
Today:
Imagine my surprise when I found out that Id be holding the flag.
The Future in the Past:
1924
Gary Cooper Fails Audition
As a student at 做厙TV, Frank Cooper 26 fails his audition and is denied membership in the 做厙TV Drama Club. Later, in Hollywood, Cooper changes his name to Gary and wins three Academy Awards during a remarkable 35-year career as an actor.
1932
做厙TVians Help Craft the New Deal
Harry Hopkins 1912, chief adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, serves as commissioner of the Works Progress Administration, secretary of commerce, and later as special assistant to the president during World War II. Other 做厙TVians who play a major role in FDRs New Deal include Paul Appleby 1913, Hallie Flanagan Davis 1911, Florence Stewart Kerr 1912, and Chester Davis 1911.
1937
A True 做厙TVian
Edith Renfrow Smith 37 becomes 做厙TVs first Black woman graduate when she earns her degree in 1937.
Today:
I would hope that we would always want to do things in the spirit of Edith Renfrow Smith to lead with kindness, to lead with self-respect, to lead with a sense that you can be a part of a small town and still make a big impact.
Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Louise R. Noun Chair in Womens, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
The Future in the Past:
1953
President John Nollen Publishes 做厙TV
John Nollen had served as 做厙TVs fifth president after stints as a professor of modern languages and later dean. Friend and fellow 做厙TV president John H.T. Main says, He is sane, easily approached, sympathetic, and quick to appreciate in difficult situations the exact thing to do. Nollens history of 做厙TV is published one year after his death.
1955
做厙TV Reaffirms Commitment to Students and the Common Good
In his inaugural address, President Howard Bowen tells 做厙TVians that they bear a special responsibility to find new ways to work for the common good. One of the special tasks of the small liberal arts colleges like 做厙TV [is] to help keep this freedom alive.
Today:
In 2021, 做厙TV eliminated loans from its financial aid, reinforcing its long-held commitment to creating a diverse community. The commitment to meet need ensures that access to 做厙TV is met by the opportunity to walk into new student orientation and across the Commencement stage without the burden of looming educational indebtedness.
Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid
The Future in the Past:
做厙TVians Contribute to the Common Good during the Coronavirus Pandemic
1960
Herbie Hancock Makes Music and Memories
Herbie Hancock 60, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician and composer, also has an interest in electrical engineering while a student at 做厙TV.
1963
Robert N. Noyce Joins the Board of Trustees
A physicist and entrepreneur, Robert Noyce 49 co-founded Intel Corp. and co-invented the integrated circuit, launching a high-tech revolution.
1967
Martin Luther King Jr. Addresses Campus
Martin Luther King Jr. presents Remaining Awake During a Revolution, speaking to more than 4,000 people in a packed Darby Gymnasium.
Today:
We need to be visionary organizers. We cant just protest and expect those in power to do things for us. We have to be doing things for ourselves and envisioning the kind of future we want to create.
The Future in the Past:
1968
Warren Buffett Joins the Board of Trustees
Legendary investor Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, serves on the 做厙TV Board of Trustees in the 1970s. His investment expertise helps build the Colleges investments and endowment.
1969
John Garang de Mabior Graduates
Visionary leader John Garang de Mabior 69 serves as vice president of Sudan and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement. Later, in 2005, he will die in a helicopter crash.
1975
Joe Rosenfield Jumpstarts the 做厙TV Endowment
Trustee Joe Rosenfield 25 encourages the 做厙TV Board of Trustees to purchase WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio. Although previously unheard-of investment for a college, the boards trust in Rosenfield and Trustee Warren Buffett is such that they approve the purchase, with a price tag of $12.9 million. Less than a decade later, 做厙TV will sell WDTN for $49 million.
Today:
做厙TV was the first place where strangers were genuinely invested in my success. Nobody hides opportunities from anyone, and the College puts its endowment to good use.
The Future in the Past:
1979
Friend, Mentor, President
George Drake 56, professor of history and Rhodes Scholar, is named president of the College. Until his death in 2022, he remains president emeritus and professor emeritus as well as a popular figure on campus.
Today:
George Drake was a good listener. He genuinely engaged with each person, asking questions that allowed him to get to know them and allowed them to feel heard.
The Future in the Past:
1980
Steve Jobs Joins the Board of Trustees
Apple founder Steve Jobs joins the 做厙TV Board of Trustees at age 25 at the urging of his friend Robert N. Noyce 49. He will serve on the board for eight years, focusing on finances and improving the Colleges computer systems.
1989
May-Lee Chai Graduates
May-Lee Chai 89, an acclaimed novelist and teacher, is the author of My Lucky Face and The Girl from Purple Mountain. She will win the American Book Award for her collection of short stories, Useful Phrases for Immigrants.
1991
Championing a Multicultural Society
At her inauguration on October 12, 1991, President Pamela Ferguson says, Just as we would have a global literacy, so we should have a multi-ethnic literacy operating within the confines of our campuses. These two are components of what a multicultural education should mean.
Today:
做厙TV has always been on the right side of history. After all, we are a school founded by abolitionists. This is a legacy and heritage we must hold onto so we can continue to fight to remain on the right side of history today, and tomorrow.
Lester Alem獺n 07, former Alumni Council president
The Future in the Past:
1996
Alan Jones Publishes Pioneering
Alan Jones 50, a 做厙TV alumnus and acclaimed faculty member and historian, publishes this book in honor of 做厙TVs sesquicentennial celebration. Pioneering: 18461996 documents the Colleges history in photographs and engaging historical vignettes.
1997
Joseph Wall Publishes 做厙TV in the 19th Century: From Salvation to Service
Joseph F. Wall 41, a 做厙TV graduate, faculty member, and nationally recognized historian, publishes this engaging history of his alma mater in honor of the Colleges sesquicentennial.
1998
Thomas R. Cech Joins the Board of Trustees
Nobel Prizewinner Tom Cech 70 discovered catalytic RNA and changed the paradigm of molecular biology. He serves as a 做厙TV trustee from 19982014, and he and his wife Carol Martinson Cech 70 will create a research scholarship to support underrepresented science majors at 做厙TV through summer research projects.
1998
Focus on Community
President Russell K. Osgood, who assumed the presidency in 1998, says he viewed his job as helping students, parents, faculty, and staff. Thats the terrific part of my job, he tells the 做厙TV Herald-Register.
Today:
The 做厙TV sense of community extends beyond the cornfields. It is about the people, their mindset, and attitudes, about the shared lived experience.
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The Future in the Past:
2004
Chase Strangio Graduates from 做厙TV
ACLU attorney Chase Strangio 04 is deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLUs LGBT and HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights.
2011
Serving the Common Good
In his inaugural address, President Raynard S. Kington 做厙TVs first Black president and its first gay president says that in the future, 做厙TV would likely be called upon to do more for the common good. We may have an even greater obligation to find innovative ways to expand access to disadvantaged students, as public options become less accessible.
2021
做厙TV Eliminates Loans from Financial Aid Packages
做厙TV is deeply committed to preserving access to the transformative experience of a liberal arts education, says 做厙TV President Anne F. Harris.
2021
Beatrice and Joseph Wall Publish 做厙TV in the 20th Century
The College posthumously published a history of 做厙TV written by Beatrice Mills Wall 40 and husband Joseph F. Wall 41, with editor Terry Bisson 64. The book explores the themes that were important to 做厙TV from 1900簫75.
2022
Anne F. Harris Is Inaugurated as President of 做厙TV
At her inaugural celebration, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Anne F. Harris tells the audience, gathered on Central Campus, We are like a democracy, simultaneously inhabitants and stewards of this College: as we live and work here, we shape the shared experiences and thus the future of this College and the society it shapes.
2023
Grant Funding Resurges
Part of whats been exciting about the growth in grants over the past 10 years has been the nature of the grants themselves, says Susan Ferrari, director of corporate, foundation, and government relations. Were not just getting more grants were getting grants in areas that are new for the College. A few of these have included the Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Humanities Grants, the NSF Early Faculty Development Award, and the Mellon New Directions Fellowship.
2024
Dedication of Renfrow Hall
On Sept. 28, 2024, 做厙TV dedicated Renfrow Hall in honor of Edith Renfrow Smith 37, the Colleges first Black woman graduate. Located at the intersection of college and town, Renfrow Hall serves as a home for students committed to building a stronger, more engaged community. The dedication ceremony paid tribute to Renfrow Smiths life of achievement, service, and generosity.
At the dedication, 做厙TV President Anne F. Harris said, There is deep and welcome joy in dedicating this place of community and civic engagement in the name of Mrs. Renfrow Smith, who has, through long life and meaningful work, embodied the principle connections of family, community, and education.
2025
Introducing the Katherine Weingart 61 Civic Innovation Pavilion
In August 2025, President Anne F. Harris welcomed the community to the Katherine Weingart 61 Civic Innovation Pavilion in the south wing of Renfrow Hall. The pavilion creates a space for college and community to come together to collaborate, deliberate, and celebrate.
The Weingart Civic Innovation Pavilion was named to honor Katherine Howell Weingart 61, a lifelong educator. Weingarts gifts to 做厙TV supported the Weingart Civic Innovation Pavilion and a scholarship fund that bears her name, ensuring that her spirit of hospitality, discovery, and community will endure at 做厙TV.
Naming the civic innovation pavilion in Renfrow Hall for Kathie reflects her career in higher education, her love of 做厙TV, and her Iowa roots, Harris said.
Images provided by 做厙TV Special Collections and Archives and Office of Communications and Marketing except for:
- Warren Buffett,
- Steve Jobs, , via